Colts Urged to Take 'Less Cautious Approach' with Anthony Richardson

Bleacher Report believes the Indianapolis Colts must get Anthony Richardson back on the field the second that he is cleared from his hip injury.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) watches the action on the field from the sideline Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts pulled off an impressive win over the previously undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers this past Sunday. This win was made even more remarkable considering the fact that the Colts lost their starting quarterback for the remainder of the game halfway through the first quarter.

With Anthony Richardson sidelined due to a hip injury, veteran Joe Flacco was able to do just enough to hold off a ferocious Steelers' comeback. The Colts currently sit at 2-2 with a massive divisional match-up coming up with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the status of their starting quarterback is currently up in the air.

Luckily, NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe reported today that Richardson "isn't expected to miss much, if any, game time" due to the hip pointer injury he suffered on Sunday.

Good news is Anthony Richardson suffered a hip pointer and isn’t expected to miss much, if any, game time, per sources.

Colts decided to be safe taking precaution ruling out their franchise QB yesterday. He’s sore & dealing with pain but appears to have avoided major injury. https://t.co/SORkX0DzMx

— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) September 30, 2024

The Colts seemingly avoided any long-term injury with their young passer on Sunday, which means he could be cleared to play as early as this week against the Jaguars. If he is cleared for action, Bleacher Report advises that the Colts should roll with the young passer and avoid the overly cautious approach going forward.

Bleacher Report had this to say in their big takeaway from the game following the Colts' win:

While Joe Flacco is a true veteran and diced up Pittsburgh's top-ranked defense on third down, the 39-year-old also severely limits Indianapolis' scheme, which became obvious.

First, the Steelers could create pressure, particularly along the offensive interior, because Flacco doesn't have the movement skills to evade pressure. With the game on the line, Pittsburgh derailed the Colts' final drive (not including kneeling out the clock) with a sack. If not for a botched snap during the Steelers' final possession, the outcome of the contest could have been completely different.

Second, Flacco's immobility changes the math for the entire offense. Richardson may not be an efficient passer. The longtime veteran certainly has an edge there. Yet the run game began to stall with Flacco behind center. Richardson is a legitimate running threat who helps create lanes for his backs. Steichen's offense is predicated on these possibilities.

Thread: Lost in the shuffle w Anthony Richardson getting banged up Sunday is something important: His footwork was VASTLY improved. And that resulted in improved accuracy. See for yourself.

First play of the game. Steps all the way into this throw. 32 yds to Pittman: pic.twitter.com/dVCgEn9mIh

— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) September 30, 2024

Bleacher Report hit the nail on the head perfectly in this takeaway. While the Colts' offense gained efficiency and ball control with Flacco under center, the overall impact on the offense was painfully obvious with him on the field. The Colts' offensive line allowed a pressure to sack rate of nearly 25% with Flacco and the run game cratered once he entered the game.

The Colts also lost out on potential explosives with Flacco on the field. The Colts had four explosive plays and nearly 10.0 yards per play in Richardson's 13 snaps on Sunday. In Flacco's 53 snaps played, the Colts managed four explosive plays and just 4.4 yards per play on the day. The sample sizes are obviously different, but the offense was firing on all cylinders with Richardson before Flacco came in and just steadied the ship.

This isn't to say Flacco had a bad performance by any means either. He was fantastic on third downs and his short accuracy kept drives alive. The key point here is that the Colts' offense has so much more potential long-term (and even short-term) with Richardson than it does with Flacco. With Richardson, he just needs to calm down and hit the lay-ups to make this offense be a top 5-10 unit in the league. With Flacco, his arm limitations and mobility limitations put a massive strain on the offense, even if his short efficiency is much better than Richardson's at the moment.

Overall, I'm in complete agreement with this takeaway from Bleacher Report. Once Richardson is cleared to play, get him back on the field and ready to go.

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